During the May golden holiday, domestic customers mainly bought premium alcohol while foreign customers purchased a lot of K-Food.
Shinsegae Duty Free noted on the 16th that, from May 30 to June 6, an analysis of consumer spending patterns of individual tourists from seven countries—Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia—showed these trends.
According to Shinsegae Duty Free, Chinese tourists purchased the most face masks during this period, followed by Spam, strawberry-covered white chocolate, and honey butter almonds.
Japanese tourists mainly consumed traditional Korean products such as yakgwa, gim, walnut cookies, and olive oil. Shinsegae Duty Free explained that this reflects a diversification in food consumption, moving away from the previous year's focus on seaweed.
Korean customers purchased 'Ballantine's 30-Year-Old' whiskey the most, with premium whiskey consisting of three out of the top five items. Notably, sales of 'Ballantine's 30-Year-Old' at Incheon Airport during the golden holiday period increased by more than three times compared to the same period last year. Last year, items like red ginseng and domestic soju also ranked high, but this year, the strength of whiskey was pronounced.
Southeast Asian tourists showed a distinct preference for K-Food.
Singapore tourists shifted from last year's cosmetic-focused consumption pattern to purchasing a lot of O'sulloc green tea and Spam this year, while Malaysian tourists bought honey butter almonds, stir-fried squid, and Dashida. Vietnamese tourists purchased a variety of red ginseng and premium whiskey.
A representative from Shinsegae Duty Free said, "We will strengthen our marketing strategy targeting individual tourists by reflecting the latest trends such as changes in Chinese preferences and the high-end liquor preferences in Vietnam to create country-specific tailored products."